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Book Description
In the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Cape Ann, a funny, sad, wise, and redeeming first novel about a young girl's battle with a troubling affliction. Rural Kentucky in the 1950s is not an easy place to grow up in, and it's especially hard for 10-year-old Icy Sparks, an orphan who lives with her grandparents. Life becomes even more difficult for Icy when the violent tics and uncontrollable cursing begin. Icy's adolescence is marred by the humiliation brought on by her mysterious condition, and its all-too-visible symptoms are the source of endless hilarity as everyone around her offers an opinion about what's troubling the girl. Eventually, Icy finds solace in the company of an obese woman who knows what it's like to be an outcast in this tightly knit Appalachian community. Narrated by a now-grown Icy, this first novel shimmers with warmth and humor as it recounts a young girl's painful and poignant journey to womanhood--and the many lives she touches and enriches along the way.
--Icy Sparks was a New York Times Editor's Choice
"Awesomely intelligent . . . Robinson's accurate but unstuffy writing has done much to popularize wine and make it accessible to new drinkers." --The Guardian (London)
- Book Details
- English Books
- Rating:



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- Audio Cassette
- Edition: 7 hours/5 cassette
- ISBN-10: 1565115120
- ISBN-13: 9781565115125
- Publisher: Highbridge Audio
- Pub date: Apr 20, 2001
- Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD and Others

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The writing is not bad and I usually enjoy a well-written character driven story, but in this case, I found it very difficult to connect to Icy or maintain interest in her story. This story is told from 1st person view, but some how the reader still seems to be kept at a distance.